Indiana Stuns No. 12 Purdue With Signature Win

The storied rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers added another memorable chapter on January 27, 2026, as Indiana delivered a signature 72-67 victory over No. 12 Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. With the win, Indiana picked up its first Quad 1 victory of the season and handed Purdue its third consecutive loss, a surprising twist for a team that had raced to a 17-1 start and was once considered a front-runner in the Big Ten.

Coming into the matchup, the Boilermakers were looking to snap a two-game skid, having most recently fallen to No. 9 Illinois in a high-scoring 88-82 contest. Purdue's offense had been lauded as one of the nation's best, ranking second in adjusted offense and eighth in effective field goal percentage (58.6%). Point guard Braden Smith led the country with 9.3 assists per game, and senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who averaged 20.1 points per game last season, was expected to be a focal point against an Indiana squad that had shown defensive vulnerabilities.

Indiana, meanwhile, had just halted a four-game losing streak with a convincing 82-69 win over Rutgers. Under first-year head coach Darian DeVries, the Hoosiers were eager to prove themselves in his inaugural taste of the state’s premier college basketball rivalry. The stakes were high: Indiana needed a marquee win to bolster its NCAA tournament hopes, and Purdue was desperate to avoid a freefall in the Big Ten standings.

The game tipped off at 9:00 p.m. ET, with a raucous Assembly Hall crowd fueling the intensity from the opening possession. Purdue matched Indiana’s offense early, but the Hoosiers began to pull away thanks to hot shooting from beyond the arc. Indiana drilled eight three-pointers in the first half, including three from Tucker DeVries, and out-hustled Purdue on the glass, winning the rebound battle by two. Key turnovers also plagued the Boilermakers, who coughed up the ball seven times to Indiana’s four in the opening twenty minutes.

By halftime, Indiana had built a commanding 40-29 lead. Lamar Wilkerson, who has been Indiana’s offensive engine all season, poured in 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the first half alone. Nick Dorn contributed eight points, while DeVries and Reed Bailey each chipped in nine. For Purdue, Kaufman-Renn led with seven points, three rebounds, and three assists, but the Boilermakers struggled to find their rhythm, hitting just three of ten from long range.

Purdue’s defensive woes continued to be a theme. As noted by Zach Osterman of the IndyStar before the game, "There’s a lot the Boilermakers can do to hurt IU, but the 3-point defense concerns are glaring." Those concerns were realized as Indiana finished with 12 made three-pointers, consistently finding open shooters and capitalizing on Purdue’s lapses.

In the second half, Purdue adjusted by moving Kaufman-Renn to the five and letting Jack Benter stretch the floor at the four, a strategy that sparked a comeback. The Braden Smith–Kaufman-Renn pick-and-roll became a staple, and the Boilermakers slowly chipped away at Indiana’s lead. After a big three from Benter and clutch free throws by Kaufman-Renn, Purdue cut the deficit to just two points with under three minutes to play.

But Indiana refused to wilt under pressure. Conor Enright, who had been quiet for much of the night, buried two critical three-pointers late in the game, including one that extended Indiana’s lead to five with just over 20 seconds remaining. Wilkerson, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, calmly sank two free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win for the Hoosiers.

Purdue’s offensive leaders did their part, with Kaufman-Renn erupting for 23 points and Smith adding 14, but the Boilermakers simply couldn’t overcome their defensive shortcomings. As Sam King of the Journal & Courier had predicted, "Purdue will have to out-offense its biggest rival." Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, their defense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain, and their offense wasn’t enough to erase the early deficit.

The Hoosiers’ supporting cast also shined. Nick Dorn scored 18 points, including a pair of timely three-pointers in the second half, and DeVries contributed a near double-double with nine points and ten rebounds. Indiana’s ability to spread the floor and knock down perimeter shots was a decisive factor, as they shot 39% from three-point range and consistently made Purdue pay for defensive breakdowns.

For Purdue, the loss marked a concerning trend. After starting the season 17-1, the Boilermakers have now dropped three straight, with each defeat exposing weaknesses in their perimeter defense and late-game execution. The team’s record fell to 17-4 overall and 7-3 in Big Ten play, a far cry from their early-season dominance. As the Boilermakers look ahead to a road game at Maryland, head coach Matt Painter will need to address these issues quickly if Purdue hopes to regain its footing in the conference race.

Indiana, on the other hand, improved to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten. The win not only snapped their own losing streak but also injected new life into a season that had been teetering on the brink. The Hoosiers’ next test comes on the road against UCLA, but with a rivalry win in their back pocket and momentum on their side, there’s a renewed sense of optimism in Bloomington.

Looking back, this game may well be remembered as the turning point for both teams’ seasons. For Indiana, it was a night when everything clicked: hot shooting, gritty defense, and clutch performances from stars and role players alike. For Purdue, it was a sobering reminder that talent alone doesn’t guarantee victory, especially in the cauldron of a rivalry game at Assembly Hall.

As the final buzzer sounded and the Assembly Hall faithful erupted, it was clear that this edition of the Indiana–Purdue rivalry had delivered all the drama and intensity fans have come to expect. The Hoosiers, at least for now, have bragging rights—and perhaps a new trajectory for the rest of their season.